New heart provides new outlook on life

SAN DIEGO – Justin Feria doesn’t remember his father. Daniel Feria died of a heart attack at 32. Justin was 2.

As for his mother, Justin says, “She was the life of the party. Very social. Loved to talk to people. She was like the glue.”

His mother, Susan Kidwell, died of heart-disease complications at 43. Justin was 16.

So when Feria began experiencing heart problems 17 months ago, he was not stunned. Yet ...

“When I got the news myself, it was still unreal. It hit me pretty hard,” he says.

Feria, who lives near University Towne Center, is 27 years old now. A year ago he was so listless he often slept 20 hours a day. Walking 35 feet from his bedroom to the kitchen left him exhausted. On March 21, 2009, he underwent a heart transplant.

On Jan. 24, he plans to walk the Carlsbad Half Marathon.

Of the 13.1-mile challenge that awaits, Feria says, “Given the situation I’ve been in before, a lot of things don’t make me that nervous.”

Feria is a Rancho Bernardo High graduate. He earned a political science degree from USD. He’d like to earn a master’s in sports business from New York University and work in the Chargers’ or Padres’ front office.

His first heart scare came in August 2008 when he had a difficult time breathing on a flight home from New York. At the USD health clinic, Feria was told he likely had bronchitis and was given antibiotics.

The symptoms returned six weeks later.

“About 10 times worse,” he says. “It got to the point where it felt like somebody punched me in the stomach.”

Feria was hospitalized for four days and was diagnosed with an enlarged and weakened heart. He was put on a drug program.

By January, his body wasn’t creating enough energy to keep him warm. Feria was living with his uncle and grandmother, who kept the home temperature around 85 degrees. Feria would bundle up with blankets. Still, he couldn’t keep warm.

“I was throwing up a lot,” Feria recalls. The 5-foot-7 Feria watched his weight plummet from 195 pounds to 170.

He returned to the hospital for two weeks, had a pacemaker and a defibrillator installed, plus was put on a list to receive a transplant.

Given a pager and told to be no more than an hour away from Sharp Memorial Hospital, Feria waited.

Like a woman in the late stages of pregnancy, he kept a bag packed. What was stuffed in Feria’s backpack? His computer, downloaded with movies. “The Godfather,” “Anchorman” and “Back To The Future” are three of his favorites. He included two books — “A Million Little Pieces” by James Frey and “Dreams From My Father” by President Barack Obama.

He held intimate conversations with family and friends.

“My basic message was I did a lot of things in my life,” he recalls. “If things do happen to me, don’t mourn it.”

On March 20, 2009, he received the phone call.

“We think we have a heart for you,” a nurse said.

A day later, he underwent the transplant.

Feria doesn’t know the name of the person who donated his new heart. He knows it was a woman. Knows she was about his age, with one child. Knows she died in a coastal North County car accident. Knows he’s grateful she was a donor.

“I feel really blessed,” he says. “It’s a second chance at life. I’m eternally grateful.”

While he was waiting for the transplant, Feria created a bucket list of things he wanted to do during his life.

Visit family in Seattle. Travel to the Philippines. (He’s Filipino.) Attend the Olympics. See the Grand Canyon. Build a house. Build homes for Habitat for Humanity. Get married. Raise a family. Run a half marathon.

On the three-month anniversary of his transplant, the first day he was permitted to travel, Feria visited the Grand Canyon.

And the day after he was released from the hospital, he walked from his home, to a park, to the UTC mall and back. Stopping often to rest, the walk lasted nearly three hours.

“When I was in the hospital, you’re not allowed to go outside,” Feria says. “When I’d leave the room, I had to cover up with a face mask just to walk the floor. I was home. I wanted a little fresh air.”